Wallboard lifter



June 20, 1961 B. E. GILLESPIE 2,989,286

WALLBOARD LIFTER Filed March 28, 1958 Boyce E. Gillespie 1 N VEN TOR.

Mm BY ym 3M0 United States Patent 2,989,286 WALLB'OARD LIFTER Boyce E. Gillespie, P.0. Box 446, Refugio, Tex. Filed Mar. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 724,734 1 Claim. (Cl. 254-420) This invention relates to a device for facilitating the lifting of Wallboards or other heavy objects while leaving the hands free to perform other duties.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool which is a time and labor saving device to be used principally for the purpose of lifting and placing heavy wallboard in a nailing position without the aid of a carpenter helper. By using a tool in accordance with this invention one man can easily lift and hold a wallboard while nailing the wallboard in place. The hands are entirely free for use in the work.

-The above is accomplished by a tool that is balanced in such a way that the heel part drops to the flo0r by swinging about a transverse axis and is ready to slide the foot in with ease. The tool is tilted down at the front toe end of the tool and then foot pressure enables the user to push the pointed front end of the tool under the wallboard. By stepping down on the back or heel end of the tool the wallboard is lifted as the tool is pivoted about its transverse fulcrum. This lifts the wallboard in place, ready for nailing and installation.

Other objects and features of importance, such as mechanical simplicity and ruggedness, will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the tool showing it in use;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tool in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a small scale bottom view of the tool.

In the accompanying drawings there is a tool constructed in accordance with the invention. This tool is designed principally for the lifting and holding as well as placement of Wallboards 12, dispensing with the necessity of additional help in the nailing of Wallboards. Generally, it is a two man job to install wallboard in an eflicient manner. Wallboards are ordinarily too heavy to lift, place, hold and nail at the same time. Tool 10 enables one man to do this job.

The tool has a flat elongate base or rockable foot lever 14 with a front or toe portion 16 shorter than the rear or heel portion 18. Both portions are coplanar and coextensive. A fulcrum is established by a transverse rib 20 that depends below the bottom surface of base (14. This rib establishes a pivot axis for swinging the tool by rocking the foot as shown in the dotted line positions of FIGURE 2. Strengthening ribs 24 and 26 extend fore and aft from transverse rib 20. When the tool is made in a casting, the ribs 20, 24 and 26 may be cast integral with base 14.

The toe portion 16 has a feathered front end 30 with a straight edge 32 to easily wedge up and slide under wallboard 12 when the tool is pushed forward by the foot of the user. Upstanding wall 34 on toe portion 16 immediately behind part 30 flmctions as a stop both for the wallboard 12 and for the toe of the shoe 36 of the carpenter.

A combined strap and handle 38 is generally U-shaped, attached at its ends to lateral extensions 40 and 42 of 2,989,286 Patented June 20, 1961 base 14 that are immediately above rib 20. Handle 38 is in the form of an inverted U-shaped loop and can be used for a number of purposes, among which are carrying and manually lifting or placing the tool.

In operation the tool is simply placed on the floor or ground. The carpenter places his shoe 36 with the heel on the heel portion 18 and the toe on the toe portion 16 with the extremity of the toe near or in contact with wall 34. Then the carpenter lifts up on the wallboard 12 and slides the part 30 beneath it. Should the carpenter desire he may simply push the tool with his foot forward to wedge the feathered part 30 beneath the lower edge of wallboard 12. Thereafter the carpenter rocks his foot with the heel part 18 moving down and the toe part 16 moving up, rib 20 functioning as a fulcrum. This elevates the wallboard 12 in position enabling the carpenter to make minor adjustments of the position of the wallboard, the entire weight of the wallboard supported by the tool; and then nail the wallboard in place. No other help is required. Through the medium of the handle or loop 38, the device may then be conveniently shifted to the next location with the foot. By reason of the forward location of the handle or loop 38, should the foot be lifted the lever 14 will hang therefrom with its rear end lowermost to drag on the floor thus further facilitating shifting the device and positioning same for the next operation without the necessity of stooping while continuing to leave both hands free to be used for other purposes.

It is understood that various changes may be made herein without departing from the invention as claimed. For example rib 24 could have a different shape. It may be semi-circular, such as a semi-tube. It may be merely a piece of pipe welded beneath a plate that functions as base 14 in a more rudimentary model. However the illustrated casting is desired because of its neatness and cleanness.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is as follows:

A rigid one piece wallboard lifting tool comprising an elongated plate having a substantially flat upper surface for supporting an operators shoe, the central portion of said plate being widened, a transverse fulcrum n'b extending downwardly and across the lower surface of the widened portion, a triangular vertical reinforcing rib extending longitudinally of and below said plate, the apex of the triangular rib located adjacent the lower edge of said vertical rib, a vertical transverse rib extending upwardly from said plate and slightly spaced from the toe end thereof for engagement by the toe of said operators shoe, the toe end of the plate being beveled whereby it may be wedged under the wallboard when said vertical rib is pushed by 'said operators shoe, and a U-shaped strap of sufiicient width to receive said shoe straddling the widened portion of the plate and having its ends integral with said fulcrum rib, said strap adapted to function as a foot guide and carrying handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,215 Conceny et a1 May '14, 1918 2,569,242 Kors Sept. 25, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS v 

